Railroad rail spraying apparatus



Feb. 19, 1952 QUARLES 2,586,256

RAILROAD RAIL SPRAYING APPARATUS Filed May 19, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN R yon/ass Feb. 19, 1952 J. P. QUARLES 2,586,256

RAILROAD RAIL SPRAYING APPARATUS Fi Z Y INVENTOR.

day/v P. QUHELEs BY v ulf,

3 SheetsSheet 3 W V l. I l I l I I I WI r S V. 4 m V V n \\|r|. u er n K m v Wm 1 .7 m p EQ x u HJ HHHH H H HUQU w 8 m! P v u 8 N a a: F a 0 u Filed May 19, 1950 Patented Feb. 19, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,586,256 RAILROAD RAIL SPRAYING-APPARATUS John P. Quarles, Huntington, W. Va. Application May 19, 1950, Serial No. 162,957 12 Claims. (01. 29931) This invention relates to apparatus for applying a protective coating to the sides of railroad rails while in their position in the road bed. It has been found that the life of rails and their connections may be materially lengthened by applying thereto a protective coating of oil,.paint, or the like. The principal object of this invention is to provide apparatus for applying such a coating which shall be simple and sturdy of construction, and reliable and economical in operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide apparatus for spraying rails which shall include spray nozzles directed against the sides of the rail, and means to hold the nozzles in their proper positions relative to the rail, unaffected by curves in the track, swaying of the vehicle upon which the apparatus is mounted, or up and down movement of the vehicle body due to swaying of the car or end play of the axle bearings.

Briefly, my invention comprises a spray nozzle carriage which is flexibly suspended from a railway vehicle and supported by a double flanged wheel riding on the rail. Means are provided for raising and lowerin the carriage and supplying liquid and interrupting the supply of liquid responsive thereto when the carriage is raised and lowered. Preferably, the spray nozzles are of the fiat spray type and are so mounted on the carriage that their positions may be varied and their angularity with respect to the rails varied to afford the proper distribution of the liquid along the sides of the rail and its fittings. In addition, guide means are provided for the apparatus to limit lateral movements of the spray carriage to a direction transversely of the rail, together with yieldable means for maintaining the carriage centrally ofthe rail on which it is associated. These and other features of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing the apparatus mounted on a railway vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, drawn to a larger scale than Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line III-III of Fig. 2, with certain parts removed Fig. 4. is a detail sectional view'taken along the line IVIV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional plan view drawn to a larger scale, taken along the line VIVI of Fig. 1, with certain parts removed;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken along the line VII-V11 of 6;.

' a plate I! interposed between the sections. The

Fig. 8 isa detail sectional view of a spray nozzle and mounting therefor taken along the line VIIIVIII of Fig.6;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional line IXIX of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detail sectional valve; and,

Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the piping arrangement and the position of the apparatus on a: railway vehicle.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understandin of my invention, I show a fragment ID of arailway vehicle. Mounted on a suitable part of the vehicle, and over each rail H of the railroad track, is an upper housing I 2 whichextends downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1-,to a point some distance above the rail 1 I Inasmuch as the view of the paint apparatus for spraying the two rails is identical,

only one will be described.- For convenience of design, the housing l2 may be constructed from a section of large diameter pipe with a cap [3 at the upper end and with a lower section I4 joined'to the upper section by means of bolts l6 and with housing l2 may be supported from the vehicle l0 in any suitable manner such, for example, as by means of a flanged collar l8 surrounding the housing and bearing on the platform of the vehicle, and also bymeans of angle braces l 9 and 2 Joined to, the lower end of thehousing and toe sill 22 of the vehicle. Also, a cross brace 23' may join the housing on the opposite rail. The upper" section of the housing 12 is provided witha lateral slot 24 and the lower section M with lateral slots 26 and 21, for purposes to be described later.

Suspended from the upper plate I 3 of the housing l2, by means of a pin 28, is a fluid pressure operated cylinder 29 to which air, or other operating fluid under pressure may be admitted through ports 3| and 32 leading to the opposite ends thereof, for raisin and'lowering the piston 33 (indicated in dotted lines) therein. Extending downwardly from the cylinder 29 is a piston rod 34. Pivotally connected to the lower end of the piston rod 34 by means of a pin- 36, is an extension rod 31. Mounted on the lower end of the extension rod 31 is a tube 39 of smaller diameter than the housing l4; Bolts 4| and 42 extend into the sides of the tube 39 and out through the slots 26 and 21 to prevent rotary movement of the tube 39 with respect to the housing l4.

Fittin over the piston rod extension 31 is a block, or gib 43 and secured to the underside of view taken along the:

- mam amount of lateral movement. The guides 44 and 46 restrict this movement to a direction transversely of the rail II as may be seen from Figs. 3 and 4. Fitting over the tube 39 with a sliding fit is a ring 48 having radial pins 49 and secured thereto and which extend transversely of the rail H. Fitting over the pins 49 and 5I are springs 52 and 53 which fit into and hear at their outer ends against tubular abutments 54 and 56. The springs 52 and 53 serve to maintain the tube 39 centrally of the lower section I4 of the housin I2, while the radial pins and tubular abutments 54 and 50 serve to restrict movements of the tube 39 to a direction transversely of the rail. A plate 51 is secured to the lower end of the section I4 and is provided with an oblong hole 58 therein through which the tube 39 passes, the longer dimension of the hole 58 extending transversely of the rail II. Secured to the plate 51 alongside the tube 39 are guide bars 59 and 6| which bear against the sides of the tube 39 and restrict its movements to a direction transversely of the rail II.

The rod 31, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, extends through the tube 39 and has secured to its lower end a U-shaped stirrup 60 by means of a nut 62. An axle G3 extends through the lower ends of the arms of the stirrup 50 and has journaled thereon a double flanged wheel 54. Also supported from the stirrup 60 is a spray carriage frame comprised of an upper member 60, having a hole therethrough through which the rod 31 passes and which has downwardly sloping sides terminating in downturned ends 51 and 68. The ends 6i and 58 are joined by lateral frame members 69 and II through which the axle 53 passes. The lateral frame members 59 and II, as may be seen from Fig. 6, are turned inwardly at right angles as shown at 12 and I3 near their outer ends, the outer ends of both frame members being similar and only one end of each being shown. The extreme outer ends of the side frame members are joined by, means of angle members I4 and I5 which have their lower flanges notched out as shown at H and 18 in Fig. 6. Slidingly fitting between the outer ends of the side frame members 69 and II are masks l9 and BI which are generally. rectangular in shape at their upper ends and which extend downwardly to terminate in arcuate sides 82 and 83 extending lengthwise of the rail and immediately above the rail II. Secured to each of the masks is a guide member 84 having downturned ends 80 and 81 which fit over the side frame members 69 and II. Each mask is thus capable of a limited amount of vertical movement in the spray carriage frame. Joined to the guide member 84 on each of the masks is a rod 88 which extends upwardly therefrom through the frame member 56.

Mounted in the opposite ends of each of the angle members '54 and I5, in the vertical flange thereof are opposed spray nozzles 89 and 9| which are directed downwardly and inwardly against opposite sides of the rail II. Each of the nozzles is carried in a yoke 92 having a threaded stem 93 extending through an elongated hole 99 in the vertical flange of the angle and having screwed thereon a nut 94, whereby the nozzle may be adjusted angularly and toward and away from the rail. The nozzle 89, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawing is screwed into a nipple 91 which passes through the yoke 92 and is held in position therein by means of lock nuts 98 and 99. The spray nozzles are preferably of the well known flat angle type whereby a flat, wide spray is thrown. By mounting them in the threaded nipples 91, as shown, I am enabled to vary the angular relation of the sprays to the rail. This is very important for the reason that it enables me to spray the ends of the fish plates and angle fittings of the rails. For example, the leading spray nozzle on one side of the rail II may be directed forwardly so that it impinges against the ends of the connecting bars, whereas the rear nozzle such as I00, indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, may be directed rearwardly to impinge more against the opposite ends of the rail fitting.

Connected to the upper end of each of the nipples 91 is a flexible tube supplying liquid, such as paint, under pressure to the nozzles, the several connections being shown at IIlI, I02, I03 and I04 in Fig. 2 of the drawing. A shut-off valve I09 is shown in each of the tubes whereby any one of the individual spray nozzles may be cut out of operation. At I0! is shown a conduit connected to a source of liquid under pressure, not shown. A manually operated control valve I09 is provided in the conduit and at I09 is shown a normally closed spring operated valve in the supply line. The valve is held normally closed by means of a spring III and is provided with a stem II2 which extends upwardly from the valve in the path of an arm II3 which is carried by the piston rod 34 and extends out through the slot 24. By reference to Figs. 1 and; of the drawing, it will be seen that when the wheel 54 is in its lowered position, resting on the rail II, the arm II3 has engaged the stem H2 and holds the valve I09 open. When the wheel 64 is raised up off the rail, as when transferring the apparatus from one location to another, the arm I13 rises above the stem H2 and the valve is closed.

The pipe I01 is provided with a cross connection IIO to serve both opposed pairs of spray nozzles. A valve I I5 in the cross connection controls the supply of liquid to the flexible tubes IOI and I02, while a valve I20 controls the supply of liquid to the tubes I03 and I04. The valves H5 and I20 are provided with operating handles H5 and I20 each of which is connected to the rod 88 extending upwardly from its associated mask 19 or 8I as the case may be. It will be seen that when either of the masks I9 or ill rises, its associated rod 88 will close the associated valve H5 or I20, as the case may be, and cut offthe supply of paint, oil, or other protective coating supplied to the rail by that valve.

At H4 is shown a source of fluid under pressure, such as air, for operating the cylinder 29. Air is admitted selectively to the ports 9 I and 32 at opposite ends of the cylinder 29 by means of a four way valve IIB. Conduits H1 and H8 lead respectively from the valve IIB to the ports 3I and 32 at the upper and lower ends of the cylinder 29. Fluid from the ends of the cylinder is exhausted through an exhaust pipe I I9.

From the foregoing the operation of my improved apparatus will be readily understood. In use, when a section of railroad track is to be painted, the spray carriage is lowered until the wheel 64 is resting on the rail II and, as the vehicle is moved along the track the protective coating is sprayed on the opposite sides of the rail. So long as the wheel 64 is down on the rail, the arm II3 holds the valve I09 open so that liquid is supplied under pressure to the valves I I5 and I20 which control the supply to the spray nozzles. So long as the masks I9 and BI are in their lower positions in the spray carriage, the

amazes valves 5 and 1-20 are open and liquid under pressure is supplied to the nozzles. Should any obstruction he encountered on the rail, and the masks 79 or 8], as the case may be, is moved up above the rail, the associated valve H5 or I is immediately closed by the upward movement of the rod 88. Upon passing the obstruction, the mask is lowered by gravity and the associated valve opened by downward movement of the mask. This is important in that it prevents oil getting on top of the rail where it would interfere with the operation of the locomotives and trains.

It will :be seen that my improved apparatus operates only when the spray carriage with its spray nozzles is in the proper position to apply the protective coating to the rail. The housing 12, secured to the vehicle provides a sturdy,- rigid support for the apparatus while the flexible suspension means employed for the wheel 64 and the spray carriage, permits the spray apparatus to follow the unevenness of the track and compensates for the sway of the vehicle and the end play in the wheel bearings. The double flange on the wheel 64, in combination with the springs 52 and 53, hold the spray apparatus centered with respect to the rail I I and thus provides for the accurate spraying of the protective coating onto the sides of the rail.

It will accordingly be apparent that I have devised an improved railroad rail spraying app-aratus, which is simple and sturdy of design, reliable in operation, and adapted for varied conditions met with in railroad practice.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a railroad rail spraying apparatus including a railway vehicle, a spray carriage suspended from the vehicle and free for lateral movement relative to the vehicle, a wheel for the carriage riding on the rail, spray nozzles mounted on the carriage and directed toward the rail, and means limiting lateral movements of the carriage relative to the vehicle and restricting said movements to a direction transversely of the rail.

2. In a railroad rail spraying apparatus including a railway vehicle, a spray carriage suspended from the vehicle and movable relative to the vehicle, a wheel for the carriage riding on the rail, spray nozzles mounted on the carriage and directed toward the rail, means limiting lateral movements of the carriage relative to the vehicle and restricting said movements to a direction transversely of the rail, a mask interposed between the spray nozzles and the top of the rail and movable vertically with respect to the spray carriage, means to supply liquid under pressure to the spray nozzles, and means to shut oil the supply of said liquid responsive to vertical movement of the mask relative to the carriage.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the nozzles are mounted on opposite sides of the rail and in which means are provided for adjusting the position and ang'ularity of the nozzles with respect to the carriage.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which there are mounted on the carriage a pair of leading nozzles on opposite sides of the rail and a p ston rod extending downwardly therefrom, an extension rod pivotal y connected to said piston rod, a spray carriage suspended from said ext nsion rod over the rail, means restricting lateral movements .of thecarriage relative to the housing to a direction transversely of the rail, a .double flange wheel fer the spray carriage rid.- ing on the rail, leading and trailing spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on both sides of the rail, means to supply liquid under pressure to. the nozzles, means to supply fluid under pressure to the cylinder to raise and lower the carriage, and means operable responsive to raising the carriage to intercept the supply of liquid to said nozzles.

.6. A railroad rail spraying apparatus including a railway vehicle for transporting the apparatus and comprising an upper stationary housing, a

fluid pressure operated cylinder pivotally mounted in the housing and having a piston rod extending downwardly therefrom, an extension rod pivotally connected to said piston rod, a spray carriage suspended from said extension rod over the rail, means associated with the housing restricting movement of the carriage relative to the housing to a, direction transversely of the rail, a flange wheel for the spray carriage riding on the rail, a pair of leading spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, a pair of trailing spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, means to supply liquid under pressure to all of said nozzles, means to supply fluid under pre'ssure to the cylinder to raise and lower the carriage, and means operable responsive to raising the carriage to intercept the supply of liquid to said nozzles.

7. A railroad rail spraying apparatus including a railway vehicle for transporting the apparatus and comprising an upper stationary housing, a fluid pressure operated cylinder pivotally mounted in the housing and having a piston rod extending downwardly therefrom, an extension rod pivotally connected to said piston rod, a, spray carriage suspended from said extension rod over the rail, means restricting lateral movement of the carriage relative to the vehicle to a. direction transversely of the rail, a flange wheel for the spray carriage riding on the rail, a pair of leading spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, a pair of trailing spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, means to supply liquid under pressure to all of said nozzles, means to supply fluid under pressure to the cylinder to raise and lower the carriage, and means operable responsive to raising the carriage to intercept the supply of liquid to said nozzles.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 in which means are provided for adjusting the position and angularity of each of the spray nozzles on the carriage with respect to the rail.

9. In apparatus for spraying railroad rails in place in a railroad track and embodying opposed nozzles located above and on opposite sides of the rail and directed downwardly against the rail, a conduit supplying liquid under pressure to said nozzles, a valve in said conduit, a mask mounted between said nozzles and the top of the rail and movable up and down relative to said nozzles, and an operative connection between said mask and said valve effective to close the valve upon upward movement of the mask.

10. A railroad rail spraying apparatus including a railway vehicle for transporting the apparatus and comprising an upper stationary housing, a fluid pressure operated cylinder mounted in the housing and having a piston rod extending downwardly therefrom, an extension rod pivotally connected to said piston rod, a spray carriage suspended from said extension rod over the rail, means restricting lateral movement of the carriage relative to the housing to a direction transversely of the rail, a flanged wheel for the spray carriage riding on the rail, a. pair of leading spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, a pair of trailing spray nozzles mounted on the carriage on opposite sides of the rail, means to supply liquid under pressure to all of said nozzles, means to supply fluid under pressure to the cylinder to raise and lower the carriage, a mask mounted in each end of the carriage between the opposed nozzles and the top of the rail, said mask being movable vertically relative to the carriage, and means:

operable responsive to upward movement of the mask relative to the carriage to interrupt the supply of liquid to said opposed nozzles.

11. In a railroad rail spraying apparatus in cluding a railway vehicle, a spray carriage suspended from the vehicle and free for lateral movement relative to the vehicle, a flanged wheel for the carriage riding on the rail, means for increasing and decreasing the pressure between the rail and the wheel, spray nozzles mounted on the carriage and directed toward the rail, and means limiting lateral movements of the carriage relative to the vehicle and restricting said movements to direction transversely of the rail.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 in which there is a spray carriage mounted over each rail, each carriage being adapted for vertical movement independently of the other.

JOHN P. QUARLES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 429,990 Bauer June 10, 1890 1,597,346 Fantz et a1 Aug. 24, 1926 

